Rain had the last laugh as it washed out more than 15 overs. India has their task cut out and need 14 wickets to win the match with a play of two days remaining. India could only take six wickets on day 3. The play will have an early start tomorrow and will kick off at 4:30 AM IST.

Australia’s batting woes returned on the third day of the 4th test on Saturday and they had slumped to 236 for six when rain and bad light brought an early end to their response to India’s mammoth first innings of 622/7.

It was early stumps in Sydney due to heavy rain. The play is going to start early on Day 4. Australia (236/6), trail India (622/7d) by 386 runs. Handscomb (28*), Jadeja (2/62), Kuldeep (3/71).

How Day 3 Began:

Indian players give their pink caps to McGrath, similarly to their Australian counterparts in memory of Jane McGrath.

The Australian players give their baggy pinks to Glenn McGrath on Jane McGrath day, which is in honour of his wife who passed away with breast cancer. The ongoing Pink Test is also to raise funds and awareness for the same.

KL Rahul’s brilliant catch effort

Day 3 witnessed a brilliant catching effort from KL Rahul. The first ball from Jadeja and Harris tried to take him on but missed the timing. Rahul did a full dive trying to catch the ball but it didn’t carry and Rahul himself immediately signalled the same. Afterwards, Rahul was lauded by the umpire for the prompt honesty.

Australia at 122/1 at Lunch

Australia (122/1) at lunch, and was trailing India (622/7d) by 500 runs in Sydney. Marcus Harris (77*), Marnus Labuschagne (18*), Kuldeep Yadav (1/40). Marcus Harris has been brilliant this session, as he literally drove Australia through this first session of Day 3.

Spectacular innings by Marcus Harris

Marcus Harris missed out on his first Test hundred and a first for Australia this series. A wide tossed up delivery from Jadeja and Harris tried to go for a push but the ball ended up taking an inside edge and takes off the stumps.

Drinks break

Peter Handscomb looked extremely tentative at the moment; he was edging the ball everywhere. The commentators said that he is going down the pitch as a pre-meditated move instead of waiting for the delivery to be bowled first. Australia 157/4 vs. India (622/7d)

Before drinks, Ravindra Jadeja bowled out Shawn Marsh at mere 8 runs. Marnus Labuschagne was set and tried to drive that full delivery on the pads from Shami, on a brilliant catch by Ajinkya Rahane.

India’s upright fielding continued

As Australia was at Australia 163/4, India’s intensity in the field was right up there and that is putting a lot of pressure on the Australian batsmen. Virat Kohli put men in catching positions and it was an extremely aggressive fielding setup.

Handscomb struggled and was edgy in the early part of the innings but they are taking it slow and easy. A few good shots gave him confidence and looked like he is there to stay on the pitch.

Kuldeep Yadav struck just a few overs before tea. Tossed up delivery from Kuldeep and Head runs at it and a solid caught and bowled by the chinaman. Australia was 5 wickets down.

Australia was 198/5 at Tea

After Kuldeep Yadav struck again taking down Tim Paine’s wicket, Pat Cummins came at the pitch and there was no stopping. He was in full solidarity with the bat. While Peter Handscomb was also doing a fine job on the other end, Cummins had come and taken to the bowlers well — calculated and strong.

Bad lights stopped the play

The rain was coming down at the SCG pretty heavily. When the players were walking off the field with bad light, it was suspected that it could rain and rain was outpouring. Finally, early stumps were declared. It was a premature end to Day 3 of the fourth Test.

About an hour of play was still left on the day when the low light forced umpires to stop the play.

India will have mixed feelings about this. They must have wanted to clean up the Australian tail on Day 3 itself so they required the last hour for it. Australia, on the other hand, would be thanking the Rain Gods, a solid start to the day but a sharp slide over the second and third sessions and they are in a tough spot now.

Most experts have stated that with India scoring 622 and the pitch expected to deteriorate in a day or a day and a half, it is about saving the match for Australia. 2-1 up in the series, India is aiming for a historic first-ever Test series victory Down Under.

For more interesting content on Indian Sports, stay tuned with KreedOn.

Lover of cultures, varied colors, and underdogs, Bhawna is a by-heart and professional playwright. Hailing from a journalism & communication background, she incorporates a careful study at both flips of the coin which is essentially required to be analytical in thoughts and words. Actively abreast of the current affairs around the globe, she likes knowing and bringing into light the unexplored. Problem solving via the power of content is what inspires her and hence KreedOn, a platform created for the betterment of sports ecosystem in India, is now her happy workplace!

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